Generativity
Generativity is a form of prosocial behavior and is the concern of establishing and guiding the next generation by developing in them the knowledge, skills and theory that will outlive onself. Socially-valued work and disciplines are expressions of generativity. Simply having or wanting children does not in and of itself achieve generativity. The conflict betwen generativity and stagnation is the seventh of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development and is a focus for people in the 35-60 year age range. History The term "generativity" was coined by the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson in 1950 to denote "a concern for establishing and guiding the next generation." It can be defined as creativity between the generations. Generativity can be expressed in literally hundreds of ways, from raising a child to stopping a tradition of abuse, from writing a family history to starting a new organization. One can try to "make a difference" with one's life, to "give back," to "take care" of one's community and one's planet.http://www.johnkotre.com/generativity.htm See also *Adult development *Aging *Developmental stages *Intergenerational relations *Psychosocial development References Further reading Books *An, J. S. (2003). Psychological well-being in mid to late adulthood: Parent-child relationships across the lifespan and generativity development. An, Jeong Shin: U Missouri - Columbia, US. *Berliner, A. J. (2000). Re-visiting Erikson's developmental model: The impact of identity crisis resolution on intimacy motive, generativity formation, and psychological adaptation in never-married, middle-aged adults. Berliner, Atara J : Long Island U, The Brooklyn Center, US. *Berman, A. (2007). Envy and generativity: Owning inner resources. In Envy, competition, and gender: Theory, clinical applications and group work (pp. 99-119). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. *Browning, D. 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In The generative society: Caring for future generations (pp. 97-112). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. *Yamada, Y., & Kato, Y. (2006). Directionality of Development and the Ryoko Model: Reply to Four Commentaries. Culture & Psychology, 12(2), 260-272. *Yamada, Y., & Kato, Y. (2006). Images of Circular Time and Spiral Repetition: The Generative Life Cycle Model. Culture & Psychology, 12(2), 143-160. Category:Generativity Category:Prosocial behavior Category:Psychosocial development